The New Orleans Saints are looking to end the regular season on a five-game win streak as they travel to Atlanta to take on their biggest rivals, the Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans came out as losers in their first
matchup of the season, losing 24-10. New Orleans has lost just one game since falling to the Falcons and is entering the matchup on a four-game win streak. With the chance to end the season as winners of their last five, the Saints will have to take advantage of these key matchups.
Saints WR depth vs. Falcons Secondary
Wide receiver Chris Olave was ruled out earlier this week after a blood clot was found in his lung. Thankfully, Olave is expected to make a full recovery in about a month, but the team will miss him in their season finale. With Mason Tipton ruled out and Devaughn Vele placed on season-ending injured reserve a couple of weeks ago, the Saints will have to dig into their depth against a stingy Falcons secondary.
Veteran Dante Pettis brought in three receptions in the team’s win over the Titans, but his day is remembered for one play. Pettis juked his way to a near 30-yard touchdown, but was caught from behind by a Titans defender and fumbled the ball before reaching the endzone, resulting in a turnover. Kevin Austin Jr had a better day, bringing in four receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. With plenty of injuries to their receiver room, Austin and Pettis will likely be rookie quarterback Tyler Shough’s main targets outside of tight end Juwan Johnson.
Unfortunately for the Saints’ offense, the Atlanta secondary is coming off a high, forcing MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford to throw three interceptions and keeping him under 300 yards. Highlighted by their safety tandem of Jessie Bates III and standout rookie Xavier Watts, the Falcons’ secondary is full of talent, and that’s without mentioning star cornerback AJ Terrell Jr.
Saints OL vs. Falcons pass rush
The Saints were the losers in their first matchup with the Falcons, and a lot is due to the lack of pass protection for Tyler Shough. The rookie quarterback was sacked five times in the loss, highlighted by Atlanta’s two first-round picks in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr, who combined for 2.5 of those sacks.
However, this time around, the Saints will have reinforcements, with Taliese Fuaga, who missed the first matchup with an injury. Guard Cesar Ruiz is also returning from injury and will play in the season finale. The standout matchup for Sunday’s game, however, will be rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr and Falcons rookie pass rusher Jalon Walker. The first-year players had many rival matchups in college due to SEC play, with Walker having a rep blow-up during the draft process against Banks.
Banks has been a home run hit for the Saints and has been one of the best tackles in all of football this season. But now, with a lack of talent remaining on the offense due to injuries, New Orleans needs one more strong performance from their rookie left tackle and the offensive line if they want to end their season with a five-game win streak.
Saints run defense vs. RB Bijan Robinson
The plan to beat the Falcons’ offense is easy on paper: stop Bijan Robinson. The problem is, Robinson has emerged as a top-3 running back in the NFL and has single-handedly beat teams despite their best efforts focused on slowing him down. Robinson had a solid day against the Saints in their first meeting this season, finishing with 70 rushing yards on 14 carries, averaging 5.0 yards a carry, and 2 receptions for 37 yards.
The third-year running back is coming off a monster game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, rushing for 195 yards and a touchdown, averaging 8.9 yards a carry. Robinson added another 34 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. The Saints’ defense has evolved over the season under Brandon Staley and is coming into its own, but with a matchup against one of the league’s best, they’ll surely be tested if they can keep the momentum into the offseason.
